Minor spoilers for The Dark Knight Rises follow.
When Christopher Nolan decided to take the filming of his final Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, to downtown Manhattan in late 2011, he opened Pandora’s Box. At that moment, the location was synonymous with one of the biggest grassroots movements our country has seen in the last decade: Occupy Wall Street. Months later, the first major trailer landed, featuring Selina Kyle (Anne Hathway) whispering “A storm is coming … you’re going to wonder how it is that you lived so large for so long and didn’t leave enough for the rest of us” in Bruce Wayne’s (Christian Bale) ear, scenes of violence in the streets, and the stock market flashed intermittently. Suddenly, The Dark Knight Rises wasn’t simply the epic conclusion to a series we’ve all followed rabidly; it was a direct commentary on the OWS movement — reality of the story’s actual origins in the French Revolution be damned. Out of that apparently inescapable connection comes a confounding question: where does Batman stand? Is he the 99 or one percent?
By now, most of us know consciously that the film’s premise and OWS are independent of each other and in truth, any real connection between the two movements dies with revolutionary Bane’s penchant for violence and mayhem. Perhaps that’s why Nolan has worked so hard to express that the film is not in any way associated with the movement, instead pointing to its roots in Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. Equating Bane’s upheaval to the OWS movement in the real world would be an unflattering comparison, a sentiment Occupy Chicago activist Michael Ehrenreich shares. He tells Hollywood.com, “As far as OWS is concerned, [Nolan] seems to regard populist uprising negatively, judging by the reaction of Catwoman to the excesses of the ‘revolution' and the kangaroo court Cillian Murphy presides over … It's hard to tell where the Nolan brothers' political allegiances lie, but it's hard to see a positive portrayal of OWS in this film.”
But the film isn’t actually making any comment on the real-life movement. As TDKR producer Michael E. Uslan says, “The film is emotionally impactful and thematically important.” It’s not aimed at any specifics of modern U.S. politics. But while filmmakers have reiterated that fact time and again, the echo is hard to silence. That’s because none of us can avoid the fact that the issues of both the film and the OWS movement are unavoidably connected.
“Nolan directly confronts the issue of income inequality, corporate malfeasance and, to a small extent, police overreach,” says Ehrenreich. “We all know that the script was written and most of the principal footage was shot before the outbreak of OWS, but these are ongoing political questions, especially since the 2008 crash,” he adds. While the film drops its big ideas when Batman eventually saves the day in a blaze of assumed martyrdom, Nolan’s film weighs those political and social questions. We encounter the notion of Gotham’s inhospitable environment nurturing a new class of desperate, downtrodden criminals, forced to formulate their plan below the city streets in the sewer system. These unfortunate souls join the ranks of Bane’s revolution forcing us, the audience, to contemplate the society circumstances that led them there. We find a shiny politician Harvey Dent being wrongfully upheld and memorialized in order to promote his act, which wills Gotham into a police state and eschews the usual due process in order to eradicate crime.
The film also offers up the larger question of pursuit of wealth versus humanity, showing characters who seek nothing more than money as weak pawns in Bruce Wayne’s, Selina Kyle’s, and Bane’s plans. Bane even responds to a Wayne Industries board member’s cry that he paid him “a lot of money” with the retort, “And this gives you power over me?”
To some extent, the film upholds the starry notion of achieving the American Dream, the childlike idea of being all that we can be. When Bruce makes the impossible climb out of the subterranean prison, Selina finally manages to wipe her slate clean and live happily with Bruce. We also see it to some extent when Officer John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) makes his meteoric rise from former orphan and police peon to Batman’s successor rising up into the Batcave.
But a proliferation of thematic and topical similarities doesn’t necessarily create a bridge between OWS and TDKR. Professor Bryan Waterman of New York University, who specializes in New York literature and history including Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, says that while the connection seems obvious, it’s actually a stretch. “Conservatives will make the same easy connection and think Bane represents Occupy. But even though the scenes of police clashing with scraggly punks on Wall Street may bring up recent memories of similar events, Bane’s crowd resembles OWS even less than Gotham’s virtuous police force under attack resembles the NYPD.”
To be fair to those who might find contemporary issues in the plot, the events in Gotham and Batman as a character have always been difficult to get a definite read on, especially in Nolan’s complex film series. “The Nolan movies don’t offer any easy political readings … Starting as he does from a question that takes the Batman legend seriously — What does it mean to make a mentally damaged hero a figure of American justice? — the film led to all sorts of conflicting readings of Nolan's hero,” says Waterman.
In the weeks after The Dark Knight was released, Batman/Bruce Wayne endured a bevy of theories about his political stance. His ominous sonar/wire-tapping device encroached on the privacy of an entire city, but he created it in order to stop the Joker. Could this be a metaphor defending George W. Bush for his tactics in executing his war on terror? Similarly, it’s Batman’s decision to uphold Dent in the public eye, which then provides a foundation for the Dent Act in The Dark Knight Rises, which in turn makes Gotham into a police state. By this logic, Batman is a de facto advocate for tighter government control, yet he operates outside of it. So, can Bruce Wayne be a strictly conservative hero? Do his methods make him a symbol of the wealthy and powerful?
Not necessarily. Wayne treads a very murky line between the wealthy and the disadvantaged. On one hand, he’s born into privilege but he’s robbed of his parents as a young boy, thus struggling to adulthood as an orphan. The character, especially in TDKR, serves as both a benefactor and supporter of the culture of wealth within Gotham and a beacon of hope to the young displaced boys at the St. Swithin’s home, including grown orphan John Blake.
Political blogger Jim Newell has an idea about why this back and forth is so difficult. “It’s hard to look at the politics of superheroes because superheroes, in general, are very illiberal. The solution to problems is never having people organize and find out solutions democratically. It’s always about turning power over to one sovereign who solves it himself, so it’s very paternalistic,” he says. It’s true, Nolan’s Batman operates under the notion that he’s “whatever Gotham needs me to be,” but it’s largely Batman who’s deciding what it is Gotham needs and it’s his wealth and resources that determine the outcome. It’s a problem Ehrenriech sees with the hero as well. “Batman represents the belief that we need elites, that we need representatives, that we depend on the rich and powerful,” he says.
But despite the criticism that Batman puts us in a situation of deferring the solutions to a few members of the wealthy elite, he still has the super human trait that helps to serve as the great equalizer: his humanity. “Nolan’s Gotham is so real … we believe in this man [Bruce Wayne] and we believe in this city,” says Uslan. Bruce’s constant inner conflict and his desire to do good amid his wealth of multidirectional traits creates a unique phenomenon for those looking to dissect the hero. “He’s a blank slate … we project our viewpoints onto Batman,” says Uslan.
We see this in both film and comic form in Frank Miller’s 1980’s revival of the Dark Knight. Batman occupies a space that’s not as easy to situate in a socio-political context. On one hand, he upholds the notion of tight control and regulation in the city of Gotham, policing its streets through heavy surveillance and excessive force. He’s a seeming advocate of tight municipal control. On the other hand, he’s strongly against gun violence — a reaction to his parents being killed at gunpoint — and he operates outside of the city governments laws, acting as a vigilante when governmental measures prove ineffective. His acts are in some ways selfish, as many Gothamites see him as the instigator of the dangers that plague the city while others insist he’s simply brave enough to fight against the wave of crime and fear in Gotham that most of the public has accepted as part of the immovable landscape.
Batman complicates his position a bit further in The Dark Knight Rises when he loses his fortune, essentially joining the 99 percent. He finds himself in a prison lodged deep below the earth’s surface, with a tower he must conquer with only his personal might and perseverance in order to regain his position as Gotham’s savior and Dark Knight. (If that’s not a metaphor, I’m not sure what is.) In that respect, while his inherited wealth is technically what got him to this point, it’s his own blood, sweat, and tears that allow him to truly earn back the position and act as a savior.
If these elements add up to anything, it’s that Batman’s not a character that actually fits into one category or the other, and if his constant bouts of self-doubt and reflection are any indication, even he’s not sure where he fits in the grand scheme of things: the only part of his character that we can really hone in on his humanity. Thus, our interpretations are bound to be determined by our own views as we process the idea of the caped hero.
While he is not easily categorized, Batman/Bruce Wayne does feel more real than many of our other fictional, flying saviors. Perhaps that’s why we strive to find so much political significance in his adventures. However, just as Bane’s revolution is more of a thug’s anarchic initiative than a reference to OWS, Batman is not a hero for one side or the other, but rather the hero for the occasion. His millions do not make him a member of the one percent any more than his status as an orphan makes him a member of the oppressed 99 percent. He is as he promises, simply “the hero we need him to be.”
Follow Kelsea on Twitter @KelseaStahler.
More:'Dark Knight Rises' Producer Michael E. Uslan and the Epic History of Batman'Dark Knight Rises': A Fitting Franchise Finale?Batman Beyond: 'Dark Knight Rises' and Rebooting the Caped Crusader

In a post-Harry Potter Avatar and Lord of the Rings world the descriptors "sci-fi" and "fantasy" conjure up particular imagery and ideas. The Hunger Games abolishes those expectations rooting its alternate universe in a familiar reality filled with human characters tangible environments and terrifying consequences. Computer graphics are a rarity in writer/director Gary Ross' slow-burn thriller wisely setting aside effects and big action to focus on star Jennifer Lawrence's character's emotional struggle as she embarks on the unthinkable: a 24-person death match on display for the entire nation's viewing pleasure. The final product is a gut-wrenching mature young adult fiction adaptation diffused by occasional meandering but with enough unexpected choices to keep audiences on their toes.
Panem a reconfigured post-apocalyptic America is sectioned off into 12 unique districts and ruled under an iron thumb by the oppressive leaders of The Capitol. To keep the districts producing their specific resources and prevent them from rebelling The Capitol created The Hunger Games an annual competition pitting two 18-or-under "tributes" from each district in a battle to the death. During the ritual tribute "Reaping " teenage Katniss (Lawrence) watches as her 12-year-old sister Primrose is chosen for battle—and quickly jumps to her aid becoming the first District 12 citizen to volunteer for the games. Joined by Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) a meek baker's son and the second tribute Effie the resident designer and Haymitch a former Hunger Games winner-turned-alcoholic-turned-mentor Katniss rides off to The Capitol to train and compete in the 74th Annual Hunger Games.
The greatest triumph of The Hunger Games is Ross' rich realization of the book's many worlds: District 12 is painted as a reminiscent Southern mining town haunting and vibrant; The Capitol is a utopian metropolis obsessed with design and flair; and The Hunger Games battleground is a sprawling forest peppered with Truman Show-esque additions that remind you it's all being controlled by overseers. The small-scale production value adds to the character-first approach and even when the story segues to larger arenas like a tickertape parade in The Capitol's grand Avenue of Tributes hall it's all about Katniss.
For fans the script hits every beat a nearly note-for-note interpretation of author Suzanne Collins' original novel—but those unfamiliar shouldn't worry about missing anything. Ross knows his way around a sharp screenplay (he's the writer of Big Pleasantville and Seabiscuit) and he's comfortable dropping us right into the action. His characters are equally as colorful as Panem Harrelson sticking out as the former tribute enlivened by the chance to coach winners. He's funny he's discreet he's shaded—a quality all the cast members share. As a director Ross employs a distinct often-grating perspective. His shaky cam style emphasizes the reality of the story but in fight scenarios—and even simple establishing shots of District 12's goings-on—the details are lost in motion blur.
But the dread of the scenario is enough to make Hunger Games an engrossing blockbuster. The lead-up to the actual competition is an uncomfortable and biting satire of reality television sports and everything that commands an audience in modern society. Katniss' brooding friend Gale tells her before she departs "What if nobody watched?" speculating that carnage might end if people could turn away. Unfortunately they can't—forcing Katniss and Peeta to become "stars" of the Hunger Games. The duo are pushed to gussy themselves up put on a show and play up their romance for better ratings. Lawrence channels her reserved Academy Award-nominated Winter's Bone character to inhabit Katniss' frustration with the system. She's great at hunting but she doesn't want to kill. She's compassionate and considerate but has no interest in bowing down to the system. She's a leader but she knows full well she's playing The Capitol's game. Even with 23 other contestants vying for the top spot—like American Idol with machetes complete with Ryan Seacrest stand-in Caesar Flickerman (the dazzling Stanley Tucci)—Katniss' greatest hurdle is internal. A brave move for a movie aimed at a young audience.
By the time the actual Games roll around (the movie clocks in at two and a half hours) there's a need to amp up the pace that never comes and The Hunger Games loses footing. Katniss' goal is to avoid the action hiding in trees and caves waiting patiently for the other tributes to off themselves—but the tactic isn't all that thrilling for those watching. Luckily Lawrence Hutcherson and the ensemble of young actors still deliver when they cross paths and particular beats pack all the punch an all-out deathwatch should. PG-13 be damned the film doesn't skimp on the bloodshed even when it comes to killing off children. The Hunger Games bites off a lot for the first film of a franchise and does so bravely and boldly. It may not make it to the end alive but it doesn't go down without a fight.
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Anyone who has seen writer-director Rian Johnson's brilliant debut feature - the scandalous high-school-set neo-noir Brick - knows that he is a player to keep an eye on in the future. Since releasing his sophomore effort, the con-man comedy The Brothers Bloom, the filmmaker has kept his fans interested in his developing sci-fi action flick Looper via social media tools like Twitter when news about the project's progress slowed down in between casting Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Wills, but today The Playlist reports that he's finally got something solid to talk about.
Via Production Weekly, the source claims that the film, which is set in a near future where time-travel allows a group of hired guns (called Loopers) to eliminate the targets of their crime-lord employers from the future, will begin shooting in January. The project is not currently set up at a studio, so there won't likely be an official announcement to clarify the scoop, but with knowledge of both JGL and Willis' schedules, it appears that January presents a window of opportunity for both actors to work.
I've been very excited about Looper since it was first announced. After watching Brick a dozen times or so, I realized that it had become one of my absolute favorites of the last decade and I'd jump at the chance to see the film's director and star working together again. Willis' involvement has me particularly enthused, as the $20 million man doesn't need to take any and every role that comes along (although given the quality of his recent films, it's starting to seem like he does). The Cop Out star has been particularly vocal about his love for Looper's smart script, calling it "unbelievable" and "really dark" in interviews. Hearing that he's as excited about making the film as I am to see it has me all giddy.
We'll let you know when this new development is confirmed, and we'll keep you up to date on the production as it casts up in the next few months before it's now-scheduled start date.
Source: The Playlist

The Dixie Chicks stunned America at the Grammy Awards Sunday night by claiming five big prizes, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Just four years after the trio was ostracized for making anti-President George W. Bush comments onstage during a London concert, they were celebrated for hit song "Not Ready to Make Nice" and album Taking the Long Way.
In accepting the Best Song prize, newly brunette singer Natalie Maines--who made the infamous comments onstage in 2003--personally thanked her bandmates Martie Maguire and Emily Robison for supporting her during the controversy.
She joked, "I told you I'd take you to the Grammys, stick with me."
The 49th Grammys also served up a night to remember for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who claimed four top honors with wins for Best Rock Album and Best Boxed/Special Limited Edition Packaging for Stadium Arcadium and Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song for "Dani California."
Meanwhile, American Idol winner-turned country sensation Carrie Underwood and Mary J. Blige claimed three awards apiece. It was a bittersweet night for Blige, who entered the Grammys leading the pack of nominees with eight nods.
Composer John Williams, Justin Timberlake, John Mayer, Tony Bennett, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Ludacris, jazz great Chick Corea and Gnarls Barkley were among the double Grammy winners.
The full winners list can be seen on the next page...
Record of the Year
"Not Ready to Make Nice" - Dixie Chicks
Album of the Year
Taking the Long Way - Dixie Chicks
Song of the Year
"Not Ready To Make Nice" - Dixie Chicks
Best Rock Album
Stadium Arcadium - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Best New Artist
Carrie Underwood
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
"Ain't No Other Man" - Christina Aguilera
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
"Waiting on the World to Change" - John Mayer
Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
"My Humps" - The Black Eyed Peas
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
"For Once in My Life" - Tony Bennett &amp; Stevie Wonder
Best Pop Instrumental Performance
"Mornin'" - George Benson (&amp; Al Jarreau)
Best Pop Instrumental Album
Fingerprints - Peter Frampton
Best Pop Vocal Album
Continuum - John Mayer
Best Dance Recording
"Sexy Back" - Justin Timberlake &amp; Timbaland
Best Electronic/Dance Album
Confessions on a Dance Floor - Madonna
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Duets: An American Classic - Tony Bennett
Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
"Someday Baby" - Bob Dylan
Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
"Dani California" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Best Hard Rock Performance
"Woman" - Wolfmother
Best Metal Performance
"Eyes of the Insane" - Slayer
Best Rock Instrumental Performance
"The Wizard Turns On..." - The Flaming Lips
Best Rock Song
"Dani California" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Best Alternative Music Album
St. Elsewhere - Gnarls Barkley
Best Female R&amp;B Vocal Performance
"Be Without You" - Mary J. Blige
Best Male R&amp;B Vocal Performance
"Heaven" - John Legend
Best R&amp;B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
"Family Affair" - (Sly &amp; The Family Stone), John Legend, Joss Stone with Van Hunt
Best Traditional R&amp;B Vocal Performance
"God Bless the Child" - George Benson &amp; Al Jarreau Featuring Jill Scott
Best Urban/Alternative Performance
"Crazy" - Gnarls Barkley
Best R&amp;B Song
"Be Without You" - Mary J. Blige
Best R&amp;B Album
The Breakthrough - Mary J. Blige
Best Contemporary R&amp;B Album
B'Day - Beyonce
Best Rap Solo Performance
"What You Know" - T.I.
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
"Ridin'" - Chamillionaire Featuring Krayzie Bone
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
"My Love" - Justin Timberlake Featuring T.I.
Best Rap Song
"Money Maker" - Ludacris Featuring Pharrell
Best Rap Album
Release Therapy - Ludacris
Best Female Country Vocal Performance
"Jesus, Take the Wheel" - Carrie Underwood
Best Male Country Vocal Performance
"The Reason Why" - Vince Gill
Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
"Not Ready to Make Nice" - Dixie Chicks
Best Country Collaboration with Vocals
"Who Says You Can't Go Home" - Bon Jovi &amp; Jennifer Nettles
Best Country Instrumental Performance
"Whiskey Before Breakfast" - Bryan Sutton &amp; Doc Watson
Best Country Song
"Jesus, Take the Wheel" - Carrie Underwood
Best Country Album
Taking the Long Way - Dixie Chicks
Best Bluegrass Album
Instrumentals - Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
Best New Age Album
Amarantine - Enya
Best Contemporary Jazz Album
The Hidden Land - Béla Fleck &amp; the Flecktones
Best Jazz Vocal Album
Turned to Blue - Nancy Wilson
Best Jazz Instrumental Solo
Some Skunk Funk - Michael Brecker
Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group
The Ultimate Adventure - Chick Corea
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
Some Skunk Funk - Randy Brecker with Michael Brecker, Jim Beard, Will Lee, Peter Erskine, Marcio Doctor &amp; Vince Mendoza
Best Latin Jazz Album
Simpatico - The Brian Lynch/Eddie Palmieri Project
Best Gospel Performance
"Victory" - Yolanda Adams
Best Gospel Song
"Imagine Me" - Kirk Franklin
Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album
Turn Around - Jonny Lang
Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album
Wherever You Are - Third Day
Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album
Glory Train - Randy Travis
Best Traditional Gospel Album
Alive in South Africa - Israel &amp; New Breed
Best Contemporary R&amp;B Gospel Album
Hero - Kirk Franklin
Best Latin Pop Album
Limón y Sal - Julieta Venegas
Best Latin Rock, Alternative or Urban Album
Amar Es Combatir - Mana
Best Tropical Latin Album
Directo Al Corazon - Gilberto Santa Rosa
Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album
Historias de Mi Tierra - Pepe Aguilar
Best Tejano Album
Sigue el Taconazo - Chente Barrera Y Taconazo
Best Norteno Album
Historias Que Contar - Los Tigres del Norte
Best Banda Album
Mas Alla del Sol - Joan Sebastian
Best Traditional Blues Album
Risin' with the Blues - Ike Turner
Best Contemporary Blues Album
After the Rain - Irma Thomas
Best Traditional Folk Album
We Shall Overcome - The Seeger Sessions - Bruce Springsteen
Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album
Modern Times - Bob Dylan
Best Native American Music Album
Dance with the Wind - Mary Youngblood
Best Hawaiian Music Album
Legends of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar - Live from Maui - Various Artists
Best Reggae Album
Love Is My Religion - Ziggy Marley
Best Traditional World Music Album
Blessed - Soweto Gospel Choir
Best Contemporary World Music Album
Wonder Wheel: Lyrics by Woody Guthrie - The Klezmatics
Best Polka Album
Polka in Paradise - Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra
Best Musical Album for Children
Catch That Train! - Dan Zanes and Friends
Best Spoken-Word Album for Children
Blah Blah Blah: Stories About Clams, Swamp Monsters, Pirates &amp; Dogs - Bill Harley
Best Spoken-Word Album
Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis - Jimmy Carter with Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together - Ossie Davis &amp; Ruby Dee
Best Comedy Album
The Carnegie Hall Performance - Lewis Black
Best Musical Show Album
Jersey Boys - Original Broadway Cast with Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard, J. Robert Spencer, John Lloyd Young &amp; Others
Best Compilation Soundtrack Album
Walk the Line - Joaquin Phoenix &amp; Various Artists
Best Score Soundtrack Album
Memoirs of a Geisha - John Williams
Best Song Written for Motion Picture/Television
"Our Town (from Cars)" - Randy Newman/James Taylor
Best Instrumental Composition
"A Prayer for Peace" - John Williams
Best Instrumental Arrangement
"Three Ghouls" - Chick Corea
Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
"For Once in My Life" - Tony Bennett &amp; Stevie Wonder
Best Recording Package
10,000 Days - Tool
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
Stadium Arcadium - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Best Album Notes
If You Got to Ask, You Ain't Got It! - Fats Waller
Best Historical Album
Lost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry 1891-1922 - Various Artists
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
At War with the Mystics - The Flaming Lips
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Rick Rubin
Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical
"Talk (Thin White Duke Mix)" - Coldplay
Best Surround-Sound Album
Morph the Cat - Donald Fagen
Best Engineered Album, Classical
Elgar: Enigma Variations; Britten: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Four Sea Interludes - Paavo Jarvi &amp; Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Producer of the Year, Classical
Elaine Martone
Best Classical Album
Mahler: Symphony No. 7 - San Francisco Symphony
Best Orchestral Performance
Mahler: Symphony No. 7 - San Francisco Symphony
Best Opera Recording
Golijov: Ainadamar: Fountain of Tears - Women of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus; Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Best Choral Performance
Pärt: Da Pacem - Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra)
Messiaen: Oiseaux Exotiques (Exotic Birds) - Cleveland Chamber Symphony
Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (Without Orchestra)
Chopin: Nocturnes - Maurizio Pollini
Best Chamber Music Performance
Intimate Voices - Emerson String Quartet
Best Small Ensemble Performance
Padilla: Sun of Justice - Los Angeles Chamber Singers' Cappella
Best Classical Vocal Performance
Rilke Songs - Lorraine Hunt Lieberson
Best Classical Contemporary Composition
Golijov: Ainadamar: Fountain of Tears - Osvaldo Golijov
Best Classical Crossover Album
Simple Gifts - London Voices, London Symphony Orchestra
Best Short-Form Music Video
"Here It Goes Again" - OK Go
Best Long-Form Music Video
Wings for Wheels: The Making of Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
Lifetime Achievement Award
Booker T and the M.G.'s
The Doors
Grateful Dead
Maria Callas
Bob Wills
Ornette Coleman
MusiCares Person of the Year
Don Henley
Presidents Merit Award
Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss
Trustees Award
Estelle Axton
Stephen Sondheim
Cosimo Matassa
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